M.S. from Westchester County, New York writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I would like to install the ductless cooling and heating systems (18 and 36 BTU each) in my 2-bedroom condo apartment. However, my condo manager and some of the other tenants of my condo are against it. How can I do it legally?
Mister Condo replies:
M.S., I don’t know that you can. Of course, I don’t know that you cannot either. The problem is you don’t own the outside of your building and even though there would be no ducts for these systems, there would be units on the building exterior and that’s where you have a problem. The condo association, via the condo manager, has already told you that you can’t do it and I would have to agree with them that unless they have already allowed another unit owner to install such a system, they are under no obligation to allow you to. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t ask them to allow ductless cooling and heating systems throughout the association. In other words, they wouldn’t just be allowing it for you but for everyone. Unless that happens, you probably can’t install them. All the best!